The Order of Preachers sharing the Gospel for over 800 years.
DOMINICAN SISTERS OF CALDWELL
Mission Statement
We, Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, are a community of vowed women religious
responding to God’s call and united in our quest for the unfolding revelation of God. We preach the Word of God through lives of contemplative prayer, study and ministry in response to the needs of our time.
Vision Statement
We will reclaim our passion for contemplation, and choose this as our lens through whichwe make decisions, live our lives, minister, and perceive our world.
We will hold the promotion of Justice as top priority in every area of our Congregation.
We will commit ourselves to deepen our studying, living and teaching the mysteries of theuniverse and the sacredness of all creation. We resist the ongoing devastation of our planet by a contemplative scrutiny of our use/abuse of Earth’s gifts
Although Mother Catherine Muth’s ministry was teaching, she was also a part of another ministry known as the “begging sisters” group. They begged in New York at the ports, the markets and stores to help with the many orphans that sought the assistance of the sisters. One story recounts Mother Catherine traveling with a young girl. It was a freezing cold day. She went into a store to beg and was moved by the compassion and concern that the proprietor showed this child. Mother thought how much more should be expected of us in caring for those in need. This is the legacy she passed on to us and our ministry...to hear and respond to the cry of the many faces of the poor and the alienated.
- Mother Catherine Muth,OSD, CaldwellRooted in Christian and Dominican values, this Catholic institution embraces the diversity of its constituents promoting unity through understanding and education.
Mount St. Dominic Academy – Caldwell, NJ Since 1892, MSDA has continued to teach young women (Grades 9-12) to learn and live with Christ-centered, Dominican values in the realistic, technologically challenging world of today. Leadership, Character, Responsibility, and Opportunity are all provided in academic, social, athletic, artistic, and service activities in order to enhance each young woman’s God-given talents and promote appreciation of others’ gifts as well.
Lacordaire Academy - Upper Montclair, NJ Lacordaire Academy is an independent, college preparatory school rooted in the Catholic and Dominican tradition. Since 1920 Lacordaire has served girls and boys in grades Pre-K through 8, and young women in grades 9 through 12. Total growth of individuals is fostered so students recognize and develop their own giftedness, and that of others. An environment that is nurturing, challenging and based upon Gospel values is created. Students are prepared for life to be independent thinkers, confident decision makers and responsible leaders within a communal environment.
Caldwell College – Caldwell, NJ Founded in 1939, Caldwell College serves a diverse population of all ages, and provides an excellent liberal arts education which promotes spiritual, intellectual and aesthetic growth. Upon this foundation the College offers career-related programs which prepare its graduates to take advantage of opportunities in a complex society. In pursuit of truth and life-long learning, the College fosters the well-being of this and future generations through a curriculum and extracurricular program rooted in the Catholic Dominican Tradition.
Link Community School – Newark, NJ Link Community School was founded in 1969 in response to the Newark riots and the resulting devastation of the Central Ward community. The non-denominational independent middle school was established to help rebuild the community by providing an exceptional educational opportunity for young people left in poverty. Link provides small class settings combined with opportunities for creative expression to transform potential dropouts into community leaders. Link offers each child the freedom to develop intellectually and emotionally in a safe, structured learning community.
Genesis Farm – Blairstown, NJ Genesis Farm, founded in 1980, is a learning center for Earth studies. This 140-acre farm, with its rolling hills, woodlands, marshes, its houses and farm buildings, focuses on the connections between the health of our global commons of air, water, land and nature, and the health of our local communities and bioregions. We root ourselves in a spirituality that reverences Earth as a primary revelation of the divine.
Marian Manor, Caldwell, NJ and Siena Village, Wayne, NJ Marian Manor and Siena Village are apartment complexes founded and administered by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell and offering housing for more than 450 senior citizens. Sisters minister among the seniors in a variety of ways offering spiritual, physical, emotional and social supports for the residents. Residents enjoy the company of people from a variety of religious and ethnic cultures. Low income residents enjoy the same services and accommodations as people able to afford market value rents – a unique feature of these residences.
St. Catherine Care Center, Caldwell, NJ The Dominican Sisters of Caldwell provide loving care for their sisters needing skilled nursing care in a state of the art facility on the grounds of the Motherhouse in Caldwell. They welcome relatives of the sisters, members of other religious congregations and diocesan clergy as patients as well. Sisters living on other floors of the convent visit regularly and pray with and for the patients. College and high school students from the campus volunteer as well. St. Catherine’s is a place where diverse generations meet and enrich each other.
Our Legacy to the Church
Caldwell Dominicans are women of prayer who believe that God answers prayers through the responsible action of people. Therefore, you will find us not only in classrooms, child-care centers, churches, board rooms, and senior housing facilities, but also on the streets and on the internet -- standing in solidarity with all those who advocate government policies, corporate practices, and individual lifestyles that promote human dignity, economic and environmental justice, and peaceable solutions to global problems. The Caldwell Dominicans take seriously the Church’s message of Catholic Social Teaching.
A Piece of History
Our formal name is “The Sisters of Saint Dominic of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” We trace our Order back 800 years to Saint Dominic and the mission of the Holy Preaching. Among the thirty-two Dominican congregations of women in the United States, twelve communities trace their roots to Holy Cross Convent, Regensberg, Germany, a convent founded by the Dominican friar Albert the Great in the thirteenth century. The Caldwell Dominican Sisters are a branch
on this tree.Caldwell’s immediate ancestors came from Germany to North America to teach the children of immigrants during the first great wave of immigration late in the 19th Century. In 1881, we became the independent Congregation of the Sacred Heart.
Our first Motherhouse was in Jersey City but on May 22, 1893, the cornerstone was laid for a new Motherhouse convent in Caldwell. Since 1881, Caldwell Dominicans have expanded their ministries to include traditional and new forms of education, advocacy for justice, pastoral life, affordable-housing, and social services. Through preaching, publishing, and sponsorship of Genesis Farm, we have become nationally - recognized leaders in promoting Environmental Justice, focusing on sustainability of all life.
Our Ministries Today
St. Dominic Academy – Jersey City, NJ Since 1878, Saint Dominic Academy (SDA) has provided young women (Grades 9-12) with thetools to develop intellectually, spiritually, and socially. Students are prepared to meet the demands of an ever-changing world, in an environment that values mutual respect, open communication, service and responsibility.
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